Death Do Us Part
by Carver
Summary: [JuliaJin] It's better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all... right?
1. Beginning of an Era

Before we begin, I have to tell you why I'm writing this JuliaJin fic! Yes, it's JuliaJin, JuliaJin, JULIAJIN! I like this coupling. Why? I don't need an answer! It gets really annoying reading all the Julia bashing or whatever related so I decided to create a fic that bashes Xiaoyu! Why? I was just totally inspired by the JuliaJin flamers and Julia haters! And you know what else? (does a badly imitated Xiaoyu voice) I want to see how many flames I'll get for writing this fic just to see how many immature numbskulls there actually are! Uh-oh… It looks like I'm in for a fight! (dances like a monkey) Haha! HAHAHAHAHA!

Oh, and yes, this is a "Mature" rated fic for reasons such as language, maybe some blood shed later, and er… what's that other one? Adult situations or something like that… oh! And for drinking! And… probably some other stuff I'm forgetting right now…

* * *

**Beginning of an Era**

Julia Chang hurried through the dark streets, dashing beneath street light after street light. There were tears ceaselessly streaming down the girl's face as she hugged her library books close to her chest. It had been yet another day of enduring unjust pranks and hearing cruel nicknames repeatedly yelled at her so that everyone all the way over in Canada could hear.

Xiaoyu and her friends were horrible that way.

"I hate her…" the young Native American woman whispered shakily.

Just then, she heard the sound of a dumpster can being knocked over down an alleyway. She jumped a little in the air and then upped her pace some more, expecting that it could be Xiaoyu or one of her minions stalking her again. Of course, they'd done it just to psyche her out and they had a big laugh when Julia called the police to investigate one time only to find no plausible evidence.

She started hearing her breath hissing in the quiet air, finding that her legs were actually striding a lot faster until she was running. It took her a moment to understand the subconscious action… Someone _was_ following her…

"Hey!"

Julia flinched and ran faster still.

"Hey, wait!"

No way… that was a guy's voice. It was probably one of Xiaoyu's malicious posse members who would do something horrible to the girl if he got the chance. While her fearful mind shifted to a singular goal for escape, she could hardly tell that she'd just run out in the middle of a road until bright beams of light were spotlighting her.

Her mouth went agape, her eyes wide as saucers. She was totally frozen stiff.

"Oof!" she grunted as something tackled her to the side of the road. She quickly got up on her elbows, staring wildly after the passing semi-truck.

When her senses kicked in, she dropped her eyes to the guy lying beside her on his back. She sighed in relief and sat up when her pursuer's name happened to be one she knew.

"Hwoarang… what?"

"Shouldn't you be saying 'thank you Hwoarang for saving my life'?" he said with a grin, huffing and puffing for air after that long sprint. "Geez… You're one crazy ass bitch you know that?"

Julia narrowed her eyes at the red head. His language may have been vulgar but he was still grinning good-naturedly. "Funny," she muttered, swiping the stray tears from her eyes. She was getting paranoid… How could she have not recognized her own friend's voice?

Hwoarang sat up and looked at her face, bringing a hand up to scrape some of the wet dew drops off her cheek. "So, what was it this time?" he asked.

Julia sighed. "The usual…" she muttered while collecting her books, "Xiaoyu, Hana, Kimi and all the rest of them…"

"What'd they do?"

"Doesn't matter…" she laughed and stood up.

Hwoarang watched her skeptically. "Yeah, I'll bet," he muttered and stood as well. "You really don't have to take their shit, Jules. There's tons of ways you could—"

"No."

"No?"

The brunette nodded and pushed back some of the stray locks from her face. "We've been through this already… It's not like I'll be here in Japan much longer anyway. By the end of the month, I can go home."

"Home? Back in the states?"

"Yeah, that's where I'm from," Julia said flatly with a raise of her brows as she swept past him.

The Korean sighed and then jogged up to her side again. "You know, I'll really hate to see you go, Jules… For once I got a steady girlfriend who doesn't mind me sleeping with other women."

"I'm NOT your girlfriend, Hwoarang. Stop making those stupid jokes," she said, rolling her eyes.

Hwoarang smirked. "Sure whatever you say, babe," he said and threw an arm around her shoulder.

Julia sighed exasperatedly and shook her head. Sheesh… at least he meant well… mostly…

"Uh-oh," the red head muttered.

"What?"

"We might wanna go this way," he said and steered Julia around a corner down a different road.

Julia arched a brow. "My apartment's the other way, Hwoarang…"

"Yeah, but there was some passerby back there that I don't think you'd like to run into… Ah, crap," he trailed off as the two heard some car wheels screeching behind them, "Guess they saw us…"

The brunette glanced over her shoulder to see just who "they" were. She started feeling nauseous when she saw Xiaoyu driving her new BMW and pulling up next to them.

"Oh, hey Chang!" the Chinese girl greeted happily. It was a façade that Julia had come used to distrusting though.

Ling Xiaoyu was a spoiled rich girl. The girl's father had died a few years ago and his remaining family got rich with the insurance money. Much to people's surprise, the remaining Lings didn't lament over the loss of the father for very long, actually splurging the money as soon as they got it. Since then, Mrs. Ling had become an important business figure and was making the Lings richer by the week.

Xiaoyu looked to her friends in the car, all of them exchanging malicious grins and then the Chinese girl turned her attention back to the other two. She drove up by their side again. "Listen, Chang… I hope you didn't take that little joke too seriously. You're just so sensitive!" she said.

Julia couldn't look at the girl. She wasn't sure what emotional reaction she'd have to seeing that false innocence at the moment.

"Oh, hey I like that song," Xiaoyu said to her friends—referring to a tune on the radio—and then slowly rolled the car up to keep pace. "You're Hwoa, aren't you?"

"Hwoarang."

"Yeah… I like Hwoa though. It's just so cute!" Xiaoyu said flirtatiously. She gave a flick of her silky pig tails and then whispered, "You two aren't dating right? 'Cause I was wondering if you might like to take me out for a movie tonight?"

Julia heard the Korean heave a sigh, his arm feeling tensed a bit around her neck. He hesitated and then replied, "…Okay… Sure, I'll take you to that horror movie they got out."

"Okay! Sounds great! Pick me up at my place at six o' clock, 'kay?" she said ecstatically and then drove off.

The brunette could hardly believe what she just heard. "What? Y-you're actually…" she stammered, unable get out her question.

"Ah, don't worry, Jules. I've got a plan."

The Korean dug in his pocket for a cigarette and lit it up. Julia continued watching him with crinkled eye brows. "A _plan_? Hwoarang, you're not going to do anything illegal are you? Remember who you'd be messing with—the Lings are progressively becoming important figures—"

"Woah, woah, woah! Take it easy. I wouldn't do anything that could be traced back to either of us. It'll be fine!"

"No… I… I don't think we should stoop to her level."

"Dammit, I knew you were going to say that," Hwoarang muttered, blowing smoke out of his mouth with a hiss.

Later, Julia was relieved to arrive at her apartment finally. It was an average place, tucked in between other bigger buildings but the Native American liked it because it was the one place where Xiaoyu and her friends had never tread. That is, until…

"Holy shit," the redhead said as they walked into a totaled apartment room.

Everything was disorderly: the glass windows that looked out onto the street were broken like rocks had been thrown through them, papers and books were made into graffiti, the kitchen was splattered with everything that was in the fridge, the television set was turned over and emitting sparks still, and that was only the minor problems.

Julia waded through the disaster, glass and other stuff crunching beneath her sneakers. Her honey brown eyes glided from one shattered object to the next. She stopped at the couch, her finger tips gliding over the jagged tears in the cushion—a knife had obviously been used to do that.

The Korean went in and out of the few other rooms, the bathroom, closet and one bedroom attached to the main room. "Those bitches," he growled as reentered the room and slammed a palm against the marked up kitchenette counter. "How the hell did they find your place?"

Julia's mouth was agape. She stared blankly at a busted up wooden chair on the floor, knowing that her stalkers had probably followed her all the way back to the apartment a few times. She had wondered why they hadn't done anything while she was there, hadn't done anything to the apartment after finding it. The brunette hadn't told Hwoarang that she had stalkers.

"I guess they just followed me back here once…" she whispered.

Hwoarang kicked a plastic bowl across the room, cursing under his breath. "Alright… Alright, alright… I'm going…"

"What? You're still going on that date?"

"Yes I am," he said vengefully, stalking out of the apartment.

Julia turned her sad eyes to the ground. Usually, she would go rushing after the Korean to stop him from doing something they'd surely regret later but in light of recent events…

The girl curled her fingers into fists, her stare turning hard and cold.

* * *

Okay, that's it for now. I'm such an amateur writer… but that's 'cause I wasn't born with the talent and I haven't taken writing classes yet!

Yeah, it's not REALLY "Xiaoyu bashing". I just made her a bitch. OOC, if you will… but in my opinion she COULD be like that, you know? Hey, Namco left lots of blanks for us to fill in so I'm fillin' it in a little different this time!

Jin's going to make his entrance in the next chapter. I wonder what Hwoarang will do! You know what, actually I think I could like the bitchy Xiaoyu, lol. Haha, watch out for my next chapter! But I warn you… I might not update as fast as one might like because well… It has to do with a combination of laziness and business with this thing called "life".

Obviously, I AM excepting flames. So, if I _don't_ update very soon, like I said it's just because I'm a bit busy not because I'm discouraged or anything. But who knows, maybe I _won't_ get any flames. If I don't, perhaps the flamers have finally gone back to the Xiaoyu Underworld from which they came!

Actually I heard there already is a Tekken fic with a bitchy Xiaoyu. Heheh, I MUST go read it sometime! (maniacal laughter)

Alright, enough of my rants! Turn on the death toll counter!

_Click, click, click_


	2. Laugh It Up

**Laugh It Up**

"Konnichiwa, class!" sang the cultural class teacher, Miss Yamada, as she swept in through the door.

"…Konnichiwa…" murmured the students in return.

Miss Yamada sighed and then went about with her routine preparations behind her desk.

The class fell into a hum.

"So, how was it?" Julia muttered while she absently scanned over her assignment.

Hwoarang looked to her amusedly. "What's that?"

"The date," she hissed, turning flaring eyes to him.

"Woah… Someone's cranky…"

Julia rolled her eyes and jerked her head away from him.

"Aw, come on, I'm just teasing!" he laughed and leaned closer to her to whisper, "Actually, I got just what I wanted…"

"You got laid," Julia mumbled, scribbling down her name on the top of her assignment.

Hwoarang snorted. "Yeah, that's what I did… Of course, not! That little bitch wanted it though."

"Is there a point to this Hwoarang!" Julia snapped.

"I got her keys."

"Her… _keys_? Is that some kind of hentai code or something?"

The red-head laughed, leaning back into his seat and shaking his head.

Julia felt like she could slap him.

"Okay, class! Attention, attention!" Miss Yamada said in that same sing-song voice. The class went quiet and then she cleared her throat. "First off, I'd like everyone to pass yesterday's assignment forth and then we are going to discuss the next team projects!" She watched the student's with anticipation but frowned when there wasn't as much enthusiasm as she might have liked.

"For that hot little Porsche she's got…"

Julia raised a brow at the Korean. "Could you be _vaguer_ please?" she mumbled sarcastically and passed the stack of assignments forth when they came to her.

Hwoarang gave a sly grin and slouched back in his chair. If it weren't for the witnesses and low ceiling, Julia would have gladly liked to _stomp _him.

By the end of class, Miss Yamada had explained the next—and what would be the last for Julia—project. It was an art type of culture project: the partnered students were to "get creative" and paint something or piece together paper mesh objects, et cetera. The point was to do something that represented the student's nationality. Julia had luckily been paired with Hwoarang… at least, she _hoped _that was a good thing.

"You're NOT going to stick me with all the work, I hope you know," Julia muttered, swinging her messenger bag over her shoulder and stuffing her books into it while the other student's flooded from the classroom.

Hwoarang shoved some stray papers into his binder and replied, "Alright… so we're supposed to… make some kind of thing, right?"

Julia sighed exasperatedly. "Why don't we just do a painting? Half of the canvas… I can paint something that represents the U.S. and on the other half, you paint something that represents Korea? That's easy enough, isn't it?"

"Hm… Painting? Shit, yeah! That'll be easy," the Korean grinned, earning a disapproving glare from the teacher for his swearing. The two didn't notice though and hurried out into the hall. "But now, let's talk about more important matters…" he whispered in Julia's ear.

The brunette raised a brow. "Oookay… I assume this is about… _her_…"

"Yeah… You see, she gave me the keys to her Porsche because I told her that I could totally pimp up her ride, you know?"

"Where do you get this crap?" Julia laughed, referring to his slang.

"Heheh, that's probably best left a mystery—anyway," he said, quickly returning to the subject, "Her car's just sittin' outside my rented studio in downtown Tokyo. It may not be much, but I thought we might frame another sucker."

"Frame someone else for what?"

"For stealing her car!" he stated excitedly. "I've already made certain… _modifications_ to the car too so…"

"Hwoarang! You didn't do something like…" Julia quickly brought her voice down and continued, "…like removing brake cables or something, did you?"

"Nah… Believe me, I was really tempted but I know murder is just…" Hwoarang appeared to get distracted by something in the distance but quickly recovered. "…wrong… Yeah…"

"What was _that_?"

"What?"

Julia's brows furrowed. "You just… zoned out for a second there…"

"Don't know what you're talking about… Anyway, YOU are going to have to do the framing…"

"WHAT?"

The red-head whirled on her, pressing a finger to his lips to shush her. "Shh!" He grinned nervously to the other students around them and then dragged Julia along with him by the arm, hurriedly muttering, "I would do it myself but I've got other arrangements this evening—and no, it's not a date with any other girl," he added at Julia's widened expression, "All you have to do is drive the thing to the address I left on the dashboard of the Porsche and… just ditch it, get out and make sure no one sees you."

"This is stupid…"

"Just do it! You'd be surprised how satisfied you'll feel afterwards," Hwoarang said with mischievous smile.

Julia wanted to object but Hwoarang bid her farewell and hurried off to god-knows-where before she could sort through her thoughts.

* * *

"What's the point of this…? It's… It's so juvenile!" Julia mumbled to herself while she sat in the compact interior of Xiaoyu's Porsche. Her hands gripped the steering wheel with the whites of her knuckles showing, her eyes staring widely at the crossing traffic. The traffic light shifted to green and she pulled forth.

Taking one shaking hand from the wheel, she reached over the dashboard to find a wrinkled piece of paper. On it was the scribbled address of which she didn't recognize. She DID know where to find it though because the road happened to be one near the Mishima High School.

Eventually, the young Native American woman picked her way through the clusters of traffics and to Akira Drive where she then looked further for 2654.

"…48… 50…" she muttered to herself while passing the residences. This neighborhood was rather classy with large lots. When she came to number 2654, she was pretty awestruck.

Her mouth hung agape while she stared at the big mansion, the large gates allowing view of a large handsome lawn that sat below a very expensive looking dwelling. Julia snatched the wrinkled note from the dashboard again, not believing that Hwoarang could possibly have meant to place the car _here_… Nope. The note clearly stated "2654 Akira Drive" and the number was traced over in bold.

Julia cringed a bit, biting her lip and staring nervously onto the house. Hesitantly, she pulled in front of the mansion, deciding that placing the car here was the best she could manage seeing as the gate appeared to be closed tightly. _Oh god… _she thought to herself but shoved the wrinkled paper into her messenger bag and went to getting out of the car. She made sure all the doors were locked and left the keys inside, looking to get away as quickly as possible.

However, while she was occupied again with the rich features of the house, she bumped into another person as she was fleeing. She stumbled back a few steps and reluctantly looked to who she'd just run into.

Her heart sank.

"J-Jin! I-I-I… I mean, sorry. I was just uh…"

"Something wrong with your car?" he asked in that deep indifferent voice.

Julia gulped, shaking her head frenetically with a sick expression on her face.

"You feeling alright?" Jin asked, arching a brow.

"Oh, yeah! Yeah, I'm just fine!" she replied in a high-pitched, unnatural tone. _Real smooth, Julia… _she thought vengefully, knowing that Hwoarang would say the same. Then, it had just occurred to her that this was the guy Hwoarang hated with a fierce loathing.

Jin shifted his weight, idly swinging his leather schoolbag behind his head while he stared suspiciously at the jittery girl. "So… Why are you parked outside my place?"

"Er… um… this place? Oh, this is _your _place? I… didn't know that…" she muttered feverishly, only receiving a different odd expression from the Japanese boy. She tried to grin but it felt strained. How was she going to get out of this? Before she could stop her self, she blurted, "Actually, I locked my keys in my car, heh…" She slapped a hand to her forehead but Jin didn't notice.

He bent down to peer into the Porsche window, seeing the keys with the little puppy key chain dangling from the ignition. "Oh…" he muttered and stood up straight, turning his attention to Julia again. "Okay… you can come up to my place for a bit and I'll have a couple of our assistants come down to deal with this."

"Um." Julia's mood suddenly fell. After her time in the tournament ended, getting back her mother, and then hearing all Michelle had to say about Heihachi… Julia knew that Jin was related to that horrible man. And he actually lived with him too. If the young woman ran into that old bastard now, she was liable to lose control of herself.

"What's the problem?"

"I… Well, it's just that…"

"No one's up there right now—just a household of assistants is all."

Julia looked startled by that statement. Did he know about what his grandfather had done to her family?

"Just come on," Jin said with a sigh and started to work on the panel next to the gate. He inputted a six digit password and then the gates slid open.

Julia shook her head but readjusted her bag around her shoulder and proceeded to follow Jin.

* * *

The inside of the mansion was just as extravagant as the outside with glossy wood paneling, many priceless artifacts on walls and marble stands, and walls with unique designs in their olive canvas stretches. Jin briefly spoke to two men in white uniforms and they scurried out the front door for the task. He then motioned for Julia to follow him, leading her to another large room which she expected to be his.

She felt rather uncomfortable then.

"Er… I could just wait out in your… um, living room, you know…" she said shyly, holding tightly to the messenger bag now taken off her shoulder.

"You wouldn't want to have unwanted interactions with certain others though," he replied coolly as he tossed aside his bag to a corner in the room.

Julia narrowed her eyes. "Exactly how much do you know about me anyway?"

"Enough." He walked over to a round end table and pressed his finger to the buttons on an answering machine. The thing clicked and started playing his messages.

The brunette tapped her fingers against her bag, still watching Jin warily.

Jin left the answering machine to play and then eased back on his mattress on the ground. He raised his brows to Julia and gestured for her to take a seat.

She sneered slightly and quietly sat on a light blue futon near the door. She nearly choked when she heard a familiar girlish squeal resonate through the quiet room. Quickly, she sat down, avoiding looking at Jin while Xiaoyu spoke elatedly on the answering machine.

"_Jinny! I like totally got the most awesome news in the world! Mom said the construction for my amusement park will start in two months!_" Xiaoyu then squealed rather loudly again. "_Oh my god! It's so awesome! And I get to tell all those construction workers what to do! They're going to follow my orders and I get to design EVERYTHING! Guess what, you remember that idea I had about making that one ride? Well, I'm totally going to dedicate it to you and you have to ride it with me a bazillion and ten time—_" The tape then clicked for Xiaoyu had run out the time limit of her message.

The following message picked up where she left off though. "_Dammit, Jin… Remind me to buy you a new tape recorder next week! Anyway, where was I… Oh, yeah! You WILL ride it with me a bazillion and ten times! Got it? I want you to come down tomorrow night so you can check out my plans! I just totally know you'll absolutely adore every single one of them! Hugs and kisses, Jinnikins!_"

Julia had to clasp a hand over her lips to prevent herself from bursting into laughter. That yielded little results however as her body shook with the inward chuckling. She peered through squinted eyes at Jin who was shaking his head.

"…Hate those nicknames…" he muttered and then looked over to Julia struggling to contain the laughs. He groaned. "Go ahead and laugh…"

She gladly accepted and filled the room with her laughing hysteria.

Jin blinked. He was quite surprised.

She looked even cuter when she laughed up close…

* * *

Sorry for the long chapter (and rushed end)! I wanted to stop it earlier but not enough happened in it to make it er… interesting… But in the next one, Xiaoyu's going to turn the rating up a notch MWAHAHAHAHAHA! (cough) Um… yeah, 'cause this chapter was pretty tame and mellow.

And dude was I surprised that I actually got reviews! And nice ones too! That was awesome! Haha…

Alright, I'll try to update again sometime. Later!


	3. A Kick in the Teeth

**A Kick in the Teeth**

"I CAN"T BELIEVE YOU GOT THE FUCKING ORDER WRONG YOU STUPID BASTARD!" shrieked a red faced Xiaoyu. She slammed the oaken door shut on the man in a gray uniform and stormed away from it. Plopping down on a maroon puffy pillow, she snatched a magazine and remote control from the living room table and eased back on the spot. "Morons. Mother will see to it that they lose their jobs. Hmph," she muttered with a smile.

She shifted the black remote in her hand and used it to turn on a radio in the wall. One of the American CDs she had one of her friends burn for her played.

_"…I need someone, a person to talk to_

_Someone who'd care to love…"_

Xiaoyu then sighed and started flipping through her magazine, angrily scanning the colorful pages for new clothes. She needed to find something new for Jin tomorrow. "…Hm… Something, silky… a little above the knees… Hm…"

_"…Could it be you…?"_

The phone started to ring.

Xiaoyu distractedly reached back behind her head and plucked the handheld from the small desk. She turned it on and mumbled, "Yeah?"

Her friend, Hana, was on the other end.

_"…Could it be you_

_Situation gets rough_

_Then I start to panic_

_It's not enough_

_It's just a habit…"_

"Oh, hey… No, I just got finished educating those idiots from the Mechtech Company… Yeah, those stupid asses actually got the order wrong by a HUGE margin!" Xiaoyu fumed. The expression on her face then stretched out. "What? What do you mean you saw JULIA AT JIN'S HOUSE?... What the HELL would he want with that whore—" She paused and then smiled maliciously.

_"…Hey kid you're sick…"_

It was nothing. "Ah… of course… Ask a silly question… get a silly answer… Yeah, didn't I tell you! That bitch is a floozy… No, no… If I know my Jinnikins, he won't be swayed by a cheap American bitch like her…"

_"…well, darling this is it…"_

"Oh, no offense to you of course. Just call Kimi, Hiroshi and Sheng… We'll all meet at the park, 'k? The usual park! You know, the one with all that _good_ green stuff? Right, later…" Xiaoyu chuckled, shaking her head. She started tapping her feet to the music and went about re-fixing one of her pig tails.

_"…You can all just kiss off into the air_

_Behind my back I can see them stare_

_They'll hurt me bad but I won't mind_

_They'll hurt me bad they do it all the time_

_Yeah, yeah, they do it all the time"_

"Well… I had it planned for next week but what the hey! Today's just got that appeal!" she laughed and jumped to her feet, holding her head up high with confidence. "Yeah… I'll teach you for trying to rob me!"

_"…I hope you know that this will go down on your permanent record_

_Oh yeah well don't get so distressed_

_Did I happen to mention that I'm impressed…?" _

Realizing she was still holding the phone, she stared at it, eventually breaking into her impish smile again. She poked a speed dial button and eagerly pressed the phone to her ear.

"Hi! Yeah, it's me… Xiaoyu! Heehee, well I'm flattered you remember me because I sure remember you! Oh, yeah… my ankle's just fine now," she said, twirling a strand of hair between her fingers, "Anyway… You said I could call you anytime—AND—you said that I still have two more wishes."

_"…I take one… one… one 'cause you left me and…"_

"Yup. And of course, that's what I'm calling about—"

_"…Two… two… two for my family and…"_

"—I really, really, really, really, REALLY would like it if you would—"

_"…3… 3… 3 for my heartache and…"_

"—prove just how much undying devotion you have for me by—"

_"…4… 4… 4 for my headaches and…"_

"—dealing with a certain other who is starting to become a nuisance to me."

_"…5… 5… 5 for my lonely and…"_

"Yeah, a woman… I'm sure you could find some creative ways to torment her—"

_"…6… 6… 6 for my sorrow and…"_

"—but don't have too much fun with her! I'm your main squeeze remember!"

_"…7… 7 for no tomorrow and…"_

"Oh, you did! Well, I can't wait to see it!"

_"…8… 8 I forget what 8 was for and_

_9… 9… 9 for a lost god and…"_

"…Just wait at that same spot we met, okay? I might not show up in person… Yeah, I'm sorry sweetie!"

_"…10… 10… 10… 10 for everything, everything, everything, everything…!"_

"'K, luv ya! Bye!" Xiaoyu said and then threw the phone down. She twirled around the room from left to right with her hands outstretched like a sprinkler.

_"…You can all just kiss off into the air_

_Behind my back I can see them stare_

_They'll hurt me bad but I won't mind_

_They'll hurt me bad they do it all the time_

_Yeah, yeah, they do it all the time…" _

"Say farewell to your dignity, girlie! I'll break you, heh, heh, heh!"

_"…Yeah, yeah, they do it all the time…" _

* * *

"So, you're in the semi-finals of the King of Iron Fists Tournament, huh?" Julia asked, still looking reserved in the corner.

Jin raised a half smile and nodded, staring distantly through the windows.

"Well, that's cool…" she mumbled, dropping her eyes to her feet. She saw that her long socks were stretched unevenly and went to adjusting them.

Jin found his attention drawn to her again, watching her out of the corner of his eyes. She was such a nerd… a HOT nerd though… He shook his head of the thoughts and switched his gaze back to the gray skies outside. It's not like they would work out anyway considering that she lived over seas and was only here for the tournament… but a date or two would be fine… No, that wouldn't work either… he was sort of with Xiaoyu… _Dammit…_ he thought disappointedly. Oh, well, she'd probably say "no" anyway. She didn't seem to like his grandfather…

"Erm… Mr. Kazama?" said a timid male's voice.

The two looked to find one of the men in white uniforms peering through the door.

"Yes?" Jin mumbled in lazy acknowledgment.

"Erm… Well, you have another guest… It's Miss Hiranu…"

"Who?"

"Erm…"

"I know her…" Julia said, shaking her head with a glum look on her face. "Um… it's not… _rude_ to leave through a back door here is it?"

Jin raised his brows.

Before Julia could make any kind of exit, a small girl bounced in through the doorway.

"Konnichiwa, Jin!" she greeted with a traditional bow.

Jin saw her and then went back to watching the window. "Oh… _Miharu_… Rarely hear your last name…"

Miharu nodded with a bright smile. "I just got back from my week in China… well, that's obvious I… guess… Ah, you're… Julia, right?" the girl said upon noticing the Native American girl scrunched back into the corner of the futon. Julia gave a weak nod. "Yes, you're that transfer student from the States, huh? Jin told me you came here for the tournament. I don't think we met the last time I was here…" the girl trailed off with a thoughtful look on her face. "I'm Miharu Hiranu."

Miharu surprisingly bowed to the confused Julia. Wasn't this the girl who was second-in-command of Xiaoyu's goons? She was probably messing with her head…

"Julia Chang…" Julia muttered in return.

Miharu smiled. "Well, Jin… Your description of her was right on the button! She _is_ pretty."

Julia made an odd expression, leering off to Jin who had flinched and turned more away from the two girls. What the heck was going on?

"Oh, yeah and I saw that Porsche outside… Xiaoyu described a car just like that one—is it hers?"

The room went quiet. Gladly, another assistant returned with a triumphant expression on his face. With his fists on his hips like a superhero, he said, "Sir, we got the car doors open! You may now get to your destinations, ma'am." He turned to Julia with a bow, nearly stumbling back when Julia leapt from her seat and swept out of the room.

The remaining three all blinked.

The assistant laughed nervously. "I-I will get back to my other duties, Sir…" he said and bowed out of the room.

"Hm…" Miharu rubbed her chin, looking at the door where Julia had disappeared. "I guess she IS shy… But… she seems nice—I can tell… er… Something wrong, Jin?" she added once she saw the murderous look on the Japanese guy's face.

* * *

Julia took a bus back to her apartment, deciding to stop a block away as a precaution. It was a good thing she did because when her apartment building came into view, she saw a fancy BMW parked in front of it. "Xiaoyu…" Julia grumbled and then dodged into a nearby alley.

She didn't have to stand around for long. After a few minutes, she saw Xiaoyu skipping out of the building rather merrily with one of her friends behind her, a tall Japanese girl with long, tied back hair—that was Kimi. The two got into Xiaoyu's BMW and drove off.

Julia sighed and stepped out from the alley, not sure whether she could go back there now. Who knows what surprises would be there for her. Maybe a couple of those perverted guys were just waiting beside the doorway to jump Julia or maybe there was some kind of other horrible bomb-like thing set to go off after a certain action or… something!

_But my stuff is in there… Can't call the police… They might NOT have done anything… I don't want to go through that again… _Julia took a deep breath and then continued heading for the apartment building.

No sick bastards jumped her and nothing seemed out of place when Julia stepped into the room. She had cleaned it up a bit since when it was trashed and could easily tell that nothing was stolen or tampered with. However, there WAS something new…

It was a note pinned to her wooden table with a kitchen knife. Julia approached it cautiously. She looked down on the light pink paper curled up a bit on the edges. Blue ink was neatly written on it in English. Julia removed the knife and brought the two objects up in either hand.

_Chang,_

_Play with fire and you get burned. Step into the lion's den and you get devoured. Mess with my guy's head and you get the gas chamber. Understand? If you don't…_

_Well, I do hope you attend school tomorrow. I mean, we got an assembly and tons more of learning to do! Education… it's just something a teen hates and yet… it's a crucial part of life. One of life's growing pains, eh? _

_See you soon,  
__Xiaoyu_

* * *

Heh, I hope that one part wasn't too much of an eye sore! I can't wait to write the next chapter… that's where things will truly get… messy… (does the signature evil laugh)

And I thought I'd reply to some of my awesome reviewers:

Dark Angel K: I sooo wish there were more bitchy Xiaoyus around here, lol. Thanks for callin' my idea good 'cause I like it! (nods)

alatariel meneldur: …Hope I spelt your name right, heh… I know what you mean. I used to think she was alright—didn't like her but didn't dislike her either—but then I read enough Julia bashing to make me think that Xiaoyu sucked eggs! And COOL, my grammar is fine? I'm usually pretty bad with that stuff.

Lavender23: Yeah! The TRUE nature of Xiaoyu! Heh, heh… and praise is much welcomed to me! (big grin!)

Karategal: Uh-oh, Julia seems "cowardly"? Hm… Yeah, I guess I did that by accident considering I'm making Xiaoyu so evil, lol. But I'll get to putting Julia back into her "strong" self. (might not happen in the next chapter though because something baaaaad happens there!) Thanks for pointing that out though!

And thanks to these reviewers too: Lil JJ Chang, happywithluv, breezy1028, and Kadeana!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own any of the Tekken characters. The song/lyrics in this chapter ("Kiss Off") belong to the Violent Femmes. I don't own the song or the band either.


	4. Your Undivided Attention, Please!

**Your Undivided Attention, Please!**

"Jesus… And they actually added a dramatic effect too, huh?" Hwoarang said, turning the kitchen knife over and over in his hand. "I don't know… maybe you _shouldn't_ go… Even I have to admit that this just doesn't sound good… Here, lemme see the note."

Julia's breath caught. She subconsciously held the pink note closer to her in a tighter grasp. But wait a second…

"Why did you tell me to go to JIN'S house anyway?" she cried, shooting up from her seat.

The red-head raised his eye brows. He smiled. "Well, duh… Obviously, I thought that would be most effective. I mean… what better than making Xiaoyu believe her own boyfriend wants to get rid of her!" he laughed.

"_Get RID of her_? Hwoarang, what the heck did you do to that car? Nothing happened to ME when I drove it… YOU LET ME DRIVE A FAULTY RIG!"

"Woah! Woah, woah," Hwoarang said, standing up to wave his hands in front of her face. "No… Of course not… Well, I didn't intend for you to drive it. But shit, you're alive though, aren't ya?"

Julia's eyes fired up, getting ready to shout at him when she realized that he was joking. She gritted her teeth and turned away, whipping her plaited hair across his face.

Hwoarang chuckled and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Aw, come on! Can't you take a joke? You know I'd never betray you, babe." Julia sighed, Hwoarang taking it as acceptance. "We're cool then?" The brunette turned and nodded her head. "Good… 'cause I'm staying here tonight…"

"…Er… Why?"

"Protection! Don't worry, I'll sleep on the couch…" He gave a critical look to the shredded up furniture. "Unless… You wouldn't mind sharing your bed?" he said while waving his eyebrows.

Julia snorted, leaving for her room with a wave of her hand.

The Korean smirked. "Can… I take that for a… 'yes'? Oof!" he grunted when Julia tossed a throw pillow in his face.

* * *

Morning came with no remembrances of "nighttime visitors". The Native American girl had gotten together her school things and put on the Mishima High uniform. She chuckled when she walked into the main room to see Hwoarang in his "modified" uniform slurping milk from a cereal bowl, some dribble escaping the corners of his mouth.

"Geez, you animal!" she laughed. Hwoarang lowered the bowl and smiled, going back to slurping afterward.

A few minutes later, they started to near the school, having made themselves about a half hour late due to Julia's broken alarm clock. Actually, for Hwoarang it was still early. The brunette glanced at him, the Korean smoothing a hand over his red spiky hair, looking so cool with the classic half unbuttoned shirt, the sleeves rolled up and he was wearing his goggles too.

"I thought Mr. Sasaki said he'd write you up if you came to his classes without the proper school uniform?" Julia said with mock-concern.

Hwoarang shrugged. "This IS the uniform. I only made a few minor changes is all."

"And that marker-made flaming skull on the back of your shirt being one of them, huh?"

"Yeah! It's fuckin' cool, ain't it?" he said with a grin.

The two were told by the office secretary (inside the school) that everyone was heading for the auditorium after she gave them their tardy slips.

After that, they headed for the assembly room and entered it together, both immediately taking notice to the ugly stares they were receiving—most were aimed at Julia.

"This can't be good…" Hwoarang muttered, trying to shrug the tenseness out of his shoulders.

The brunette gulped, unable to rid the lump from her throat. Her eyes flicked to a small group of students sitting in a circle towards the middle of the mats. Xiaoyu appeared to be crying with her friends Kimi and Hana on either side of her and the rest behind or in front of her, all consoling the tearful girl. Julia felt increasingly uneasy as she and Hwoarang found a spot more towards the front and by the wall.

The room was buzzing with whispers, students pointing and glaring at Julia. This really wasn't good…

"Hey!" barked a guy's voice.

Julia and Hwoarang half turned to see one of Xiaoyu's friends, Hiroshi, stretched out of the cluster so that the whole room could see him. For a second, Julia could've sworn she saw a flicker of a smile on his face.

He reverted to his native tongue, speaking loudly in Japanese. Julia felt panic starting to overtake her. What was he _saying_! She turned to Hwoarang, seeing his face go pallid. She tapped his hand subtly and he flinched, turning to Julia with that frightened gaze.

He shook his head and whispered, "Julia… we probably should…"

"JULIA CHANG IS A WHORE!" Hana shrieked, needlessly pointing at the now nauseous girl.

Julia's vision started to blur. She barely noticed as Hwoarang started helping her to her feet.

"YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT! GO BACK TO BANGING THE AMERICAN BOYS, YOU BITCH!"

Hwoarang snarled and yelled back, "SHUT UP YOU SLUT! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S IN DIRE NEED OF A 'PLUG'!"

Hana gasped along with a quarter of the student body.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" bellowed one of the staff members, the vice-principal, Mr. Sasaki. "Hiroshi Watanabe, Hana Kuronishi, and Hwoarang Doo San! All of you go to my office immediately! The rest of you will pay attention to Mrs. Yazumini!" he shouted and hurried across the floor.

Hwoarang held firm to Julia's shoulder as they walked out into the empty hall.

She sniffed and quietly asked, "What… What was Hiroshi saying? What did he say about me?"

The red-head hesitated, not wanting to repeat the hideous words that bastard had said.

The door to the auditorium burst open again with Miharu hurrying through them. Hwoarang glowered at her, making the girl recoil for a second.

"J-Julia? Are… you okay?"

"What do you think!" Hwoarang growled, "What the hell are your stupid ass friends trying to do, huh? …Spreading those fucking lies… I'll—!"

"Wait! I had nothing to do with it! I don't know why…"

"Like hell! You asses should all go to law school…"

Miharu flushed. "I told you I had nothing to do with this! I was at Jin's yesterday and I know for a fact that Julia didn't… _do_ anything with him…"

Julia froze though her heart was pounding hard enough so as to be near the explosion point.

"That son-of-a-bitch…" Hwoarang hissed.

"Don't say that! It's not—"

"—Not his fault? Is that what you're going to say? Well, he ain't exactly denying the lies, is he?"

"He's not even at school today!"

Julia's brows crinkled. "He… isn't?"

Miharu hesitated, taking a breath to calm herself. "No… He said he was going to skip out today for… 'training' or something like that."

"What? You mean that bitch actually made it to the semi-finals?" Hwoarang queried bitterly.

Miharu frowned. "JIN made it to the semi-finals, yes. He's obviously much better than some other men I can think of. All talk and no action, Hwoarang?"

"SHUT UP! I underestimated my opponent. If I hadn't, that trophy would already be in my hands and I wouldn't have to deal with you and your jack ass crew!"

"That's it! I've had enough of you! …Julia…" Miharu patted Julia's shoulder and said in a normal tone, "I'm… really sorry this happened. I'll try to tell the other kids that it's not true, okay?" Julia nodded a little and Miharu went back into the auditorium.

"Don't believe anything they say…"

"You're right though…"

"Damn right I'm right! About what…?"

Julia looked to the ground, her eyes burning with tears. She shook her head. "If… you had beaten your opponent, you probably wouldn't have to be here still… having to defend me…"

"What! No, that's not what I meant, Jules! I could've gone back to Korea a month ago but I'm still here aren't I?" Julia crossed her arms, trying to hide her face with one hand. "Seriously, it'll be okay. You don't have to… Julia!" he called when Julia ran off.

He followed her only to end up outside a girl's bathroom. The red-head heaved a sigh and leaned against the door. "Julia! Come on… You're my friend! I don't mind defending you… You hardly need me in the first place… I just get you into more trouble probably… Ah fuck, I just realized I've been holding it in…" he said suddenly and rushed into the boy's bathroom next door.

Julia laughed briefly, locked up in one of the stalls. She sat up on top of the tank so her feet couldn't be seen if someone were to come in. She couldn't face anyone right now…

_From what I gather… Xiaoyu obviously must've spread the rumor… She looked really happy the other day… not the type of behavior one exhibits when they've just found out their other has cheated on them… And the rumor itself must've been… _Julia shook her head. How could people believe that she, Julia Chang the quiet, reserved, aloof American, could've possibly seduced a heartthrob like Jin Kazama? And they were all only mad at her—_just_ her! There must be more to it…

She then flinched when she heard the door click shut again after two pairs of feet shuffled across the floor. Julia held her breath, swiping the tears from her eyes. She got that familiar nauseating feeling when she heard the voices.

"Heh, heh, heh! Did you see the look on Chang's face? THAT was priceless! I wish I had my compact camera with me," said Xiaoyu, snickering.

Her and Hana stood before the mirrors, touching up their make-up. Xiaoyu brushed at her bangs a bit. Hana, a half American, half Japanese girl with light brown cropped hair, laughed that obnoxious trademark cackle of hers. "Neeheeheheh! That was totally perfect! Rumors are so easy to spread, you know? And Jin's absence just makes it seem so much more real!"

"Yeah… I wonder about that…" Xiaoyu mumbled. She withdrew a cell phone from her knitted blue sweater and started tinkering with it. "So, what did old frog breath say anyway?"

"He said I got a month's worth of detention. No biggie. Neeheeheheh!"

Xiaoyu slid a little clear package from a concealed compartment in the phone and opened it to find white powder. "Yeah, that's not so bad… So, what did 'Mackie' say about that thing you said you'd get for me?"

Hana looked confused for a second. "Oh! Right… that 'necklace'. Yeah, you wanted it made of diamonds, right? Like ENTIRELY?" Xiaoyu nodded while dumping a measured amount of the powder into her palm. "He said I could pick it up this weekend. I saw it—it's like totally gorgeous! You really know fashion, Xiaoyu! Anyway… I've been thinking…"

"Yeah…?" Xiaoyu mumbled in a nasally voice after sniffing up some of the powder.

"That Hwoarang Doo San… He like dishonored me! You're not going to let him get away with that, are you? I mean, you went out with him right?"

"He's weird… or stupid. I left loads of hints that he could have me but then the night ended and he just made me walk up to my own house alone! He must be attached to that bitch, Chang… Why the… You know, guys probably only wanna fuck her and dump her… That's all it is!"

"Yeah, totally! I mean why have a ho like her when they can have me?"

"…A more classy ho!"

"What?"

Xiaoyu put the cell phone back together and shoved it back into her sweater. "Let's go… The sooner school ends, the sooner I can see where Jinny is…"

Hana gave her a "whatever" look but scurried out of the bathroom after her.

Julia had peered through the crack of the stall door. Xiaoyu… did drugs? For a fleeting moment her spirits lifted, believing that she'd finally found something that could really do in the little wretch but she had no evidence. Damn evidence… Sighing, she rubbed her eyes once more and got out of the stall.

She walked up to the sinks and rested her palms on the counter, staring at her weary reflection. "Why am I here…?" she whispered. She had wondered this often in the four months she had spent in Japan. The first two involved her mother in the tournament but the remaining months… Perhaps her pride was making her stay; she hadn't wanted to let Xiaoyu win this stupid little war. Was that all it was?

"Maybe I should just go back home…"

* * *

"Is this good?"

_"No, it isn't… Little Miss Ling wants this job done. Seeing as she's got one rich mama, it wouldn't look good if we disappointed her…"_

"YOU are afraid of a little brat like her?"

_"Not _afraid_. Make no mistake. Anyway just keep tailing the Chang girl. If she heads for an airport… report back and I'll have something done." _

"…"

_"By the way… is she hot?"_

* * *

Dammit, that was a looong chapter too… WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME! AAAH! (runs away from the computer screaming) 


	5. Waking Up

**Waking Up**

Sitting on the curb, just outside the school gates, Julia stared down at her stack of schoolbooks between her feet. She had thought for a long while until her mind just shut off. Now, a blank stare overcame her brown eyes. It was nearly midday and lunch periods were to arrive soon.

She didn't want to run from this problem… but didn't know what to do about it either…

_If only I had gotten to fight Xiaoyu in the tournament…_ That was her initial thought on the matter.

"Why aren't you in school?"

Julia snapped from her zombie state and slowly turned her head to the cold, rough voice that had just spoken to her. Her eyes looked curiously at a tall guy with gray hair and transparent blue eyes, scars all over his pallid skin. She was certain she had seen this guy in the tournament… he was American.

"Excuse me, sir?" Julia quietly said.

"You shouldn't be out on the streets by yourself," he said casually while pacing to the other side of her.

The brunette swiveled her head the other way to watch him. "I… was just going to head back to my apartment…"

"And then what?"

"That's really not any of your business…" Julia muttered, getting unnerved by that cold stare of his.

The guy pursed his lips, leering off in the school building's direction. "Hm… The school hours are shorter here then?"

"…No…"

"You're cutting class?"

"Actually…" Julia said with a sigh while rising to her feet and picking up her books, "…I'm probably going back to the states today. I don't know if you realize but _I_ was in the tournament as well."

The guy smiled at the sudden burst of courage the girl revealed. "Is that so?"

"Yes. So, if you'll excuse me," she said in finality and walked briskly past him. She took a breath of relief when she didn't hear him following her. When she rounded a corner, removing herself from the sight of the strange man, she checked her watch to see that it had just turned twelve o' clock.

She sprinted most of the way back to her apartment, apparently in a hurry to leave Japan before she changed her mind again. A thing that kept bugging her was that she didn't say good-bye to Hwoarang, who had probably been held up in school by the vice principal because he didn't head to his office when told to. With some guilt, she packed her few things, only taking about ten minutes. She then phoned the airport and bought a one-way ticket back to Arizona, being told that her flight would leave at five.

When she was finally feeling sure that she was making a good decision, she ran into someone she'd never expected to see ever again after the other day.

"Er… Jin?" she asked awkwardly.

He was leaned up against the side of the entrance door with his arms crossed and looked up when Julia said his name. He gave a nod, his eyes flitting to the suitcases in her hands. "Are you…"

"Yep… I'm going back to the U.S. It's time, I think," she answered with tried perkiness.

Jin's brows furrowed and he stood up from the wall. "O-oh… I didn't expect…"

"Well, I'd better get going. I don't want to miss my flight!" Julia laughed, even though it was still only one o' clock and the drive to the airport was roughly fifteen minutes. She walked away from Jin to the curb and got into the cab she'd called earlier, not once looking back.

Jin watched wide-eyed as the cab disappeared from view. She was really leaving? He snapped from his trance with a start and broke into a run in the opposite direction for his car.

When he snapped the Lamborghini door shut and turned the key in the ignition, all he could hear was a clinking and puttering. "What the…?" he murmured, trying the key again and again. Then he looked up, flinching when he saw some raggedy man slinking away with an armful of various car parts.

He had to double take and then leapt out of his car and shouted, "Hey! Hey, you… WAIT!" Growling, he darted after the guy that was scampering away. After only a minute, he'd already lost the thief in the crowds of Tokyo.

The Japanese guy silently cursed to himself and returned to the ruined sports car. He jerked his wrist in front of him to check the time, muttering briefly to himself, and then tore off down the streets on foot.

* * *

Julia had gotten to the airport and had been sitting quietly in the waiting room for a couple hours, just watching as a few other travelers came in and went out. She was just in the middle of a yawn of boredom when an announcement came over the intercom.

_"It is my sincerest apology to announce that all flights heading for the United States have been canceled… I repeat: all flights to the United States of America have been canceled… Thank you and we apologize for the inconvenience. Please see the front desks about rescheduling." _

Julia just realized that her mouth was still widely agape and then snapped it shut. "Canceled?" she whispered, turning about in her seat to see the few other people who were waiting sullenly exiting the building. She dropped her forehead against a hand. _This is just… great._

* * *

The Native American woman stormed out of the building with frustration. What was that about? They said she could speak with them about rescheduling only to find that they don't know when travel would be possible again! She practically slammed down her suitcases and then crossed her arms tightly, staring angrily at the spacious horizon over the plane fields. The sun was setting.

Well, now she had to come up with some alternative, some way to deal with Xiaoyu. But she couldn't think at the moment with such anger burning inside her already. She had _just_ come up with a good list of positives about heading back home, number one being that she could've seen how her hospitalized mother was doing…

"Dammit," she cursed quietly, her attention being drawn to an echoic clapping introduced to the quiet parking lot immediately after. She turned her head forth to see some spiky headed dude running towards her…

"Jin?" Julia said incredulously as she saw the guy skidding to a stop before her. He was out of breath as if he'd just run a marathon. "What do you want?" she asked a little coldly.

He puffed for a few more breaths and said, "I… just… wanted to… give you this…"

"Give me something?" she responded warily.

Jin nodded and held out a slender dark teal box with sakura patterns on it. When she didn't take it, he shoved it at her a little higher.

"Why?"

"Huh?"

"Why do you want to give me something?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

He raised his brows, apparently stunned that someone was being so inquisitive about receiving a gift. "Well… I… You're returning to the states, right?" Julia nodded (even though she wasn't going back on this day). "This is just uh… a farewell gift, that's all…"

"Why?" she asked stubbornly, knowing that she was starting to sound pretty childish but she wasn't about to trust Xiaoyu's boy toy—not by a long shot.

Jin stared at the box, obviously trying to conjure some explanation. "Er… It's… kind of an apology for all that bull Xiaoyu's pulled on you…"

"_Kind of_?" Julia repeated venomously. So, he was actually apologizing _for _Xiaoyu? What good was that! It only mattered if the little brat herself made the apology and even then it's not like Julia could accept it! Not after all of that crap… "I don't want it…"

Jin balked, his eyes gone wide. "What?" Julia only closed her eyes and crossed her arms tighter, turning her head from him. "You have to accept it…" he urged.

Julia shot a glare to him. "I _have_ to? Or else what?"

"I'm trying to do something nice for you," said Jin, sounding a bit irritable.

The brunette looked slightly taken aback by the seriousness in his eyes. Oh, he… really was serious. Taking a breath, she hesitantly took the box from his hand, staring at it guardedly. She carefully lifted the lid from the box and her eyes softened when she saw it, her heart beating rapidly. It was a beautiful bracelet made of silver and diamonds. She looked up at Jin with amazement, though she shook her head. "N-no… I can't accept something like this…"

"You… don't like it?" he replied disappointedly.

"Oh… no… I mean, it's beautiful… but, I really don't see why you should spend so much on me… Well, if you really ARE trying to pay me back for what Xiaoyu has done then…"

"Actually…" Jin intervened, his eyes staring at the ground, "…I just thought it'd look nice on your wrist…"

The wind started to blow by, swiping Jin's bangs across his eyes and whipping Julia's small braids over her shoulders. She turned a blank stare at the orange horizon, the airport parking lot suddenly seeming so utterly silent and barren. She remembered all the times she had seen Jin; very few of the interactions they'd shared had any speaking involved. For the longest time, she wasn't even aware that he could speak English…

"I'm not sure that… I understand…" Julia tried to form a question clearly but couldn't as much as she tried. She looked back to his face, her heart pounding more when she saw his eyes. They actually looked... _affectionate_…?

And then he did something she'd never seen him do before, something she thought could be the most uplifting things she'd ever seen… He smiled.

"I'll be finishing up the tournament tonight…" he said, still smiling and Julia could just barely make out what he was saying, "I'm fairly certain I'll be taking home the trophy. I can't let Ogre prevail obviously." The smile faded to his more serious expression at the mention of Ogre.

Now Julia had yet another reason to despise that Ogre creature. She shook her head, smiling weakly at the ground again. "Do you think… I could watch it, maybe?"

"Huh?"

"My flight was canceled apparently… It was last minute but I guess that's how it always is, right?" she said with a chuckle.

Jin looked confused. "Your flight was canceled? The weather's been perfect though?"

"I know. It's pretty odd…"

"I'll have my private jet fly you back," Jin suddenly offered.

Julia gawked at him. "Er… r-really? Okay… that's… good…" she mumbled a bit disappointedly.

"I don't want you to be here for the conclusion of this tournament… just in case… things don't go right."

"But they will… You'll win."

Jin smiled again. "You sound sure."

Julia blushed, bending down to pick up her suitcases. "So, your private jet… Can I board it here?"

"Oh… yeah. Of course. I'll go speak with the airline… people…" he said vaguely and preceded Julia back into the building.

* * *

"Alright, it's settled. You'll be back in Arizona by early morning," Jin said as he escorted Julia out to a thin black jet with the Mishima insignia on it.

They stopped while the pilots opened the doors, feeling another awkwardness settle in. Jin found it amazing that a person could have so many things they wanted to say and yet was confounded by a surprise laryngitis spell. The two looked about the plane fields idly until one of the pilots announced their ready. Jin nodded to the pilot and then turned his attention back to Julia.

"Have a… safe trip," he said to break the silence.

Julia nodded absently. She finally decided to bring her eyes up to him again, a flickering smile on her face. She rose up on her tiptoes and threw her arms around his neck, whispering into his ear, "I know you'll defeat Ogre, Jin…" Taking herself back a bit to see his face, she added, "And… I want you to keep yourself safe… for me?" Jin nodded sheepishly and as if he wasn't already convinced that he'd been dropped into a dream… she kissed him.

Julia Chang had just kissed Jin Kazama...

* * *

FIN! No, I'm just kidding! Heh, heh… Review if ya like. (big grin) Er… I'll just go get to writing the next chapter now… 


	6. Carried Away

**Carried Away**

"WHAT?" Xiaoyu screamed shrilly, "HOW COULD SHE HAVE GOTTEN AWAY! I WASN'T FINISHED WITH HER YET! YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHIT! I'LL—"

"Hey!" shouted a man with silver hair, "You'd best refrain from the name calling, Miss Xiaoyu…"

"Or else what?" Xiaoyu huffed.

"Or you may not hear about the fright fest Julia has gotten a ticket for."

Xiaoyu tilted her head curiously, the color in her face simmering down. "Tell me more," she said more sweetly.

The silver-haired man brushed at his suit, sinking back down into his leather swivel chair. He tugged on his leather gloves some and said, "It was a good thing I hired a 24/7 agent to spy on the young Chang girl or else we wouldn't have known that she boarded a private Mishima air jet."

"A Mishima jet?"

The man nodded. "As it would appear, that strapping lad, Jin Kazama got some kind of liking for the girl… I'm truly… truly sorry, Miss Xiaoyu," he added with a fake pout.

Xiaoyu started turning red again, her little hands clenching tight to her school skirt. She murmured, "So… why would you think this?"

"Well…" he laughed, "…from what my spy tells me, they shared a beautiful little 'good-bye' kiss just before the young Chang girl boarded the jet…"

Xiaoyu sprung up from her seat on the glossy desk, going to pace the floor. "That's stupid…" she muttered to herself and then more loudly protested, "They don't even know each other!"

"Doesn't change the fact that it happened… besides, they must be preeety darn familiar with each other now…" the silver-haired guy replied with a yawn.

The Chinese girl glowered, directing her crazed eyes to the man. "You think that's funny don't you, Chaolan!"

Mr. Chaolan just raised his brows lazily. He looked even more amused when Xiaoyu whipped herself around and started trying to pick up one of the fancy office chairs. "My god, have some common sense, Miss Xiaoyu," he murmured as Xiaoyu grunted and grunted, trying to haul up the heavy chair. Chaolan sighed. "For one, the interior of that chair is made of a heavy compound known as _steel_, making it weigh something over 50 kilos—oh excuse me, you're not very good at math are you? That would mean that it's _eight_ kilos over your weight. Now, secondly, those two chairs there are bolted to the ground—some people I meet with tend to get… _overexcited_."

Xiaoyu had straightened up, red in the face when Chaolan had been so bold as to remark on her poor math skills. He was actually mocking her! Her, Ling Xiaoyu, daughter of the rich Shu Ling! "You'd better watch what you say to me, Chaolan… or I'll have that luscious tongue of yours cut out and served up to my panda… Or better yet, I could serve something _else_ of great value…" she said in a sweet voice, despite the ugly glare she was giving the guy. Her eyes kept dashing south to make sure Chaolan got the idea.

He raised a brow. "Oh, but I don't think you'll be doing that anytime soon, Miss Xiaoyu."

"And why's that?"

"Haven't caught the news lately, huh?" he said smoothly, a smirk tugging at his lips.

Xiaoyu shifted her weight uneasily. "No."

"Yes, I didn't think you had by the way you came marching in here and started demanding things once more…" he sighed. "Well… it seems that Mrs. Shu Ling was found out."

"Wah… What do you mean?" the girl replied nervously.

"Truly unfortunate… I won't be taking anymore orders from you. I won't accept anymore of your demands as of this moment because, heh, you just can't pay for my services now!" he chuckled, lacing his fingers together with a smile.

Xiaoyu remained shocked for a moment and then her expression brightened greatly. She giggled and rounded the shiny desk, dropping to her knees next to his chair.

Chaolan looked down at her smugly. "Oh, no… I'm afraid that such services as that will not do."

"Lee…" she chirped, "I… We've had good times though, right? Aren't I your main squeeze?"

Lee looked as if he was ready to burst into laughter. He heaved another sigh and switched his gaze to the items on his desk. "I'm sorry, Miss Ling… but you are just not up to my standards…"

"What? What do you mean?"

"I just like… women. Women with much more curvy frames, you understand?"

Xiaoyu flinched, her grin instantly dropping. Her eye twitched.

"So, if you would please escort yourself off my premises. Don't make this anymore painful that it already is, Miss Ling," he said with his fake pout.

The Chinese girl shot up to her feet, rage flaring up in her eyes. "Why did you give me that information on Jin then? Why did you have a spy follow them all day until—"

"Until your funds were cut, Miss Xiaoyu," he muttered, starting to sound bored. "Your mother was found out at about five o' clock this evening. I just let my spy finish out her duty for your sake!"

Xiaoyu regarded him with a vacant stare.

Lee shrugged his shoulders. "Well! You have to have _something_ to do in the coming months, yes!" he inquired brightly. Xiaoyu said no words so he gestured for her to leave with a flick of his wrist and then returned to his laptop on a corner of his desk.

Xiaoyu was frozen for a few seconds longer and then glumly shuffled out of the office. "Son of a bitch…" she mumbled and slammed the door shut behind her.

* * *

Julia tiredly gazed out of the oval window at the wispy clouds. She was sitting in one of the corners of the open passenger's room. The walls were lined with long, bended leather couches and at the center was a marble cabinet, which contained expensive beverages and glasses, attached to the dark gray carpeting.

It had been about twenty minutes since she had kissed Jin. The taste of him still lingered on her lips yet she could hardly believe that it had happened. She had never done that before: kissed a guy she hardly knew, that is. Her last kiss had been about two years ago with her first steady boyfriend. She had since been occupying herself with her school work and archeology studies and had no time for romance.

She wondered if her last kiss had been as amazing as the one she'd shared with Jin. Did Jin feel the same thing? She started picturing him in a fight. The first time she had seen him was when he was battling a poor sap of the preliminaries. Jin was an excellent fighter.

Taken from her reveries, Julia flinched when the plane jerked. She held tight to the back rests of the seat, making an odd expression as the plane went to smooth flying again. Must have been the wind or something.

But then it happened again. Only this time, it kept on shaking, rattling until Julia was thrown over the beverage cabinet. She groaned when she picked herself up and then clung to the space on the floor between the cabinet and the leather seats. _What's going on?_

_"Miss Chang, we have a problem!" _said one of the pilots over the intercom, _"Please… Buckle up! We're… We're experiencing… engine failure!" _

Julia's eyes blew open. She scrambled to one of the corners and dug into the seat for the belts. She nearly got thrown across the room again but was holding tight to the belts. Her heart pounding, she managed to buckle up and then held tight to the belts. This couldn't be happening. She couldn't die this way!

_Mother… I hope you'll be okay… and I love you… And… Jin… Jin I…_

She let out a brief shriek when the room tilted diagonally. The plane was diving!

_Please… Spirits, let me live through this! I still have lots of things I must do!_

"What did I do wrong?" she muttered, closing her eyes shut tight while a tear rolled down her cheek.

The following moments seemed like one big bright flash.

All Julia could see was black, hearing herself groaning but surprisingly she didn't feel so much pain. But it was chilly, a cold wind brushing through her hair and caressing her skin. She opened her eyes and had to blink several times until she could believe what she saw.

She was looking down at a dark, heavy sea and her feet seemed to be dangling from midair. The brunette became more alarmed when she noticed the hands coiled around both of her upper arms. Slowly, she looked up to see…

No way…

She hardly could breathe when she saw him. Jin Kazama! No… No this definitely couldn't be happening. Surely, she must have died and this was some kind of… some kind of…

The being turned his eyes down to Julia; they were a glowing red. His face was emotionless but Julia then was certain that it really was Jin. He had wings of black… red eyes… was he a creature of… evil?

But she didn't sense a malignance. He wasn't going to hurt her.

She wanted to say something but couldn't find her voice, couldn't even open her mouth. His eyes turned back up and then she looked back down. She watched the wavering light of the moon reflecting off of the ocean surface.

This was impossible.

* * *

The winged Jin had flown all the way to an area of Arizona and set Julia down near one of the gorges. She was actually near the town of which her mother was hospitalized in. Her eyes flitted back to Jin who was about to take flight again when Julia caught his arm. His red eyes burned bright even though his face was so expressionless.

Had Ogre made this happen to him?

"Jin…" she breathed. She was still a bit chilly from the flight but the heat of Arizona was starting to remedy that. "I… Um… thank you…" she murmured lamely. For all she knew, he wasn't even hearing anything she said. She started feeling pressurized when he made no sign of receiving her words.

Whatever had happened to him wasn't good. If she let him go, something worse could happen. Was there some way to bring him back?

"I know you're in there, Jin… Come out…"

The red eyes seemed to flicker for a second.

"I don't want you to fall on the wrong path… Well, this probably wasn't your choice…" she mumbled, idly looking about the grounds. "I don't want anything bad to happen to you because I… care about you. Do you hear me Jin?" she asked, bringing her eyes back up to him. Her hand slowly slid down to his and she held it. "I've only just found you… Maybe you're the one… It'd really hurt if…"

She stopped there, watching with widened eyes as the dark creature slowly faded. It faded into the normal Jin.

He winced a few times as the black wings receded, his hand becoming clammy and shaky in Julia's grasp. She quickly stepped in next to him, throwing an arm over his shoulder as he doubled over, panting for breath.

"Jin! Jin, do you need something? I… I can go… er…" Julia glanced up from the shaking guy, looking hopefully at the quiet town in the distance. No, she couldn't take him to a hospital…

"Ju… lia?"

"Huh? Yes, yeah, it's me. I'm here for you."

Amazingly, he chuckled. "Heh… that's good… because…"

"Yeah?"

"I… need someone to catch me…" he muttered and started to collapse.

Julia gasped, diving in front of him to hold him up. She grunted, as he was quite heavy, and struggled until she managed to prop him up in her arms. Sighing of relief, she shook her head and muttered, "Well… I'll carry you to my house… It's only about _twenty miles away_…"

* * *

I think that's a different scenario! I hope that wasn't too mushy. It's not like I had Julia declare her love for him right then and there! Don't worry, I don't intend to rush things and I will be following the "official" Tekken story lines as well (i.e. Jin training in Brisbane… _alone_…).

And, I _know_ that Lee wasn't in Tekken 3 but I didn't say he fought in it, nor did I say he was running some type of big empire or anything. Oh, yeah, and Xiaoyu isn't rich anymore! Wonder what they found out about her mother, eh? Nah, you probably already guessed it, heh.

'Kay, until next time!


	7. In Transit

**Carver note:** Hey, people! I've been outta commission—I was without comp for the longest time, and then I had a job to attend to y'know—but I'm back! Yeah, kinda forgot about my fanfic, but now that I got some free time and a comp again, I'm going to try and finish this up. How n' ever... I'm having trouble deciding how I want to continue this. I can't remember if I had a plot! So, if you guys have any ideas, would you lend me a hand? Tell me what you'd like to see happen or throw me a few little ideas to build off of. You'll get a mention in the final chapter annnd... I'll write you a one-shot of your choice if I choose your idea. How's that?

* * *

**In Transit**

_"I... need someone to catch me..."_

Julia lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling as those words passed through her mind about the hundredth time that evening. And that image... a winged creature with glowing red eyes and horns protruding from his forehead like a demon... Was he Jin? No. That creature... it was something else.

"_Julia_!" a barely hushed voice whispered to Julia, snatching her from her reveries.

She sat up quickly as she watched Michelle swoop in, leaving the door widely ajar to light up Julia's lightless bedroom.

Michelle stopped before her, her teeth bared and back up like a ruffled cat. She jabbed a finger toward the doorway, "Who is that _boy _in the bathroom!? What is he doing there!?"

Julia repressed a smile. "Mother, I think what one does in the bathroom is no one else's business." Michelle looked about to pop but Julia quickly amended, "He's a... a friend of mine, and um... he hasn't got a place to stay, no money, so I thought..."

"You could have _told_ me there was someone else here," Michelle murmured, her teeth grinding. "I thought some… some _weirdo _just walked right in and made himself at home! I was _this _close to kicking his head in!"

"Mother! You didn't walk in on him, did you!?" Julia gasped.

The older Chang went scarlet. She stomped her feet down, yelled "Next time tell me when you've invited someone in without my permission!" and quickly stalked out, disappearing into the hall.

Julia let out a breath of relief. Well, at least her mother was back up in spirits. And she was only released from the hospital two days ago. _That's my mom, _Julia thought mock-ruefully.

Slowly she stood up from her bed and went out into the hall. She looked up and down it, finding that her mother was probably making cocoa in the kitchen judging from all the clamoring of pots and silverware, and then gulped as she made her way toward the guest room. Biting her lip, she hesitantly raised a fist to knock on the oak door.

"Come," answered his deep voice.

Julia pushed the door that was already open and stepped into the tidy guest room. Only the lamp on the end table was on, casting minimal light across the autumn fabrics and glossy wooden surfaces. Jin was sitting on the wide windowsill, hunched over his knees and staring at the floor. Confident her mother would be brooding in the family room for a while (because otherwise, she would be on them for being alone in a bedroom), Julia softly closed the door and tentatively took a seat on the bed opposite Jin.

"Are you okay?" she quietly asked.

There was silence. She told herself to stay calm, tried not to fidget or let her mouth run. Strangely it was then that the marking on Jin's arm captured her attention. She'd forgotten Michelle's old boyfriend's shirt she'd said she would get for Jin since all he was left with at the moment was his gi pants, shin guards and gloves. The towel draped around his neck was still capturing water dripping off the ends of his raven locks. Through said locks appeared two dark eyes staring back at her.

Julia flinched and downcast her eyes to her lap. "Sorry..." she murmured.

"No need to apologize. I was just thinking about the same thing."

She looked at him, slightly surprised, slightly embarrassed. Before she could say something probably stupid and irrelevant, he said:

"My father hurt my mother. He wanted nothing to do with me. Toshin took away my mother. And now my grandfather has betrayed me..." he paused, looking down, his eyes glazing over. "I don't think I want anything to do with them anymore..."

There wasn't anything she could think to say. Or maybe it was that she had too many things she wanted to say. Either way they sat their silently for a few minutes lost to thought.

Eventually she put some effort into a smile and said, "Jin, I wanted to say... I wanted to thank you... for saving my life." He flinched and then met her gaze. "The least I can do is offer you a place to stay until... until you figure things out."

"I don't want to burden you or your mother."

"No, it's fine. My mother will understand. Please... I'd like to help anyway that I can."

Her heart fluttered as that rare and beautiful smile curled into place. "Very well. I'd like to stay here for a while—As long as your mother will put up with me," he added humorously.

Julia laughed softly and stood, taking that as her cue. She took a few steps, intending to leave, when she stopped. Jin watched confusedly. In a moment, his blood rushed and his pulse raced as Julia quickly returned to give him a kiss. It was a fleeting kiss, yet his whole body was ravaged by emotions... and physical reactions. He barely had opened his eyes when he saw Julia smile at him, her cheeks flushed, before she fled the room, leaving him entirely disorientated and bewitched.

He finally remembered to breath. Though he might as soon have chosen to suffocate when he realized how _snug _his pants were.

* * *

Xiaoyu was not one to give up. Never. Her face was emotionless, making it look almost exactly like that of those dolls her country had been famous for making. It was unusual for her to be this quiet, but with the thoughts brewing like a dark storm in her mind, even she could not behave like the bubbly child most (at the least, those who had hardly scratched the surface of the _real _Xiaoyu) knew her to be. She was a calm and dangerous person, sitting on the back of her beloved Panda as they casually went to their destination. 

_"I don't think there's anything you can do, Xiaoyu. I've asked my sister about it, and you know she's got her precious degrees in Law. If anyone would know, she would," Kimi said, taking a long drag from her cigarette. _

_Xiaoyu sighed in annoyance and then kicked at a car to break the glass of a window. They were loitering in the local garbage dump where Xiaoyu and her gang usually went for absolute privacy. _

_"Um, wait a sec," Hana piped, looking thoughtful like a dumb blonde—which she kind of was since she'd died her hair. "You and Wendy got all your riches because the old man kicked the bucket, right? So, like, what if someone else in your family... you know... went on?" _

_"Passed on," Kimi corrected uncaringly. _

_Xiaoyu had frozen. Yes... what if? Her mother had lost their money over humungous criminal charges but... _

_"Dude, come on. You're not saying you want to off Wendy? She's a descent old broad—only one of our parents I like," Hiroshi muttered. _

_"That's just cuz she lets you spank her liposuction ass," Miharu so aptly put in. _

_What if? _

She had done the research. Well... her _sources _had done the research, but the point was, she knew how to get back to the top. And once she was at the top, she could really focus on destroying those who'd terribly wronged her.

First on the list?

"Julia Chang, the girl who stole my soul mate," Xiaoyu said, smiling.

Panda alerted her attention to the horizon where a shrine seemed to appear like a pop-up book. Xiaoyu giggled and patted the panda's head. "Soon, Panda, we'll have everything. Absolutely everything."

* * *

Cha, cha, cha... there you be! I think I can keep going from here for a while. Xiaoyu. Is. Evil... MWAHAHA! Uh, but seriously, I'll try to update soon, like by next week. 


End file.
